Machine for collecting and destroying potato-bugs.



A. G. SLUAN.

MACHINE FOR COLLECTING AND DESTROYING POTATO BUGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1910.

990,672." Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

. INVENTOR 0L CMSFM ATTOR EV WITNESSES ms mum's PETERS cm, WASHINGTON.n. cy

ALFRED CLEMIT SLOAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR COLLECTING AND DESTROYING- POTATO-BUGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Application filed August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,260.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED CLnMIr SLOAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful I1nprovements inMachines for Collecting and Destroying Potato-Bugs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel, simple and eflicientmachine for removing potato bugs from potato vines, and for killing thebugs; and to this end the invention consists in the novel constructionof the machine and the combinations of parts thereof which will behereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of myimproved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged of one of the beater operating wheels andadjuncts.

3 designates a frame comprising forward and rearwardhorizontally-arranged angle bars 4 and 5, respectively, and spaced bars6 secured to and connecting the angle bars 4 and 5. The angle bar 5 isprovided with downwardly extending bearing blocks or arms 7 whichsurround the axle 8 and support the frame 3 thereon, the axle, in turn,being supported by suitable carrying wheels 5) arranged outwardly of theends of the frame 3 and secured to the axle.

The frame 3 is provided with a tongue 10 secured thereto and extendingforwardly therefrom, by means of which the entire machine may be drawnforwardly and guided; and the frame 3 is also provided with a rearwardly and upwardly extending arm 11 supporting a suitable seat 12 forcarrying the operator or driver of the machine.

Arranged between the angle bars 4 and 5 is a series of spaced verticalplates 13, the plates being arranged parallel to each other and to thecarrying wheels 9. The bottom of each plate 13 carries a dish-likereceiver or pan 14 to receive the potato bugs, the pans or receivers onthe two outer plates 13 extending inwardly, and each pan or receiver onthe two inner plates 13 extending on each side of the plate. The pans'14 are arranged in spaced relation to each other, and during theforward travel of the machine a row of potato vines is adapted to passthrough each space between two adjacent pans, the trunks or main bodiesof the vines passing between the edges of the pans or receivers 14 andthe branches and leaves of the vines, extending on each side, passingover the tops of the pans or receivers and between adj acent verticalwalls 13 supporting the same.

Arranged directly above each space between two adjacent pans orreceivers 14 is a flat plate or beater 17, which is secured to a shaft18, mounted to turn in bearings 19 and 20 secured to and extendingdownwardly from the angle bars 4 and 5, respectively. Each shaft 18extends rearwardly from its bearing 20 and carries a collar 21 which isprovided with outwardly and downwardly extending pins 22 and 23, asclearly shown in Fig. 3. The pins 22 and 23 of each collar 21 arearranged to move into and out of the paths of the pins 24 and 25,respectively, which project radially from a wheel 26 secured to the axle8. The pins 24 are arranged in staggered relation to the pins 25, andthe pins 24 and 25 are adapted to strike the pins 22 and 23,respectively, in alternate succession and thereby rock the shaft 18 fromside to side during the rotation of the axle 8 and pin-carrying wheel26. As each shaft 18 is rocked back and forth, as just described, thebeater 17 on each shaft is caused to swing laterally from side to sideand over the tops of the adjacent sides of the pans or receivers 14.

The walls of each pan or receiver incline downwardly toward an openingin the central portion thereof, and arranged within the opening in eachpan or receiver is a pair of rollers 27 which are secured to shafts 28journaled in suitable hearings on the bottoms of the pans 14. The shafts28 of each pair of rollers 27, are provided with co-acting gear wheels29; and one shaft 28 of each pair of rollers is provided with a pulley30. Each pulley 30 is driven by a belt 31 from a pulley 32 on a shaft 33j ournaled in a bracket 34 on the adjacent frame 14. Each shaft 33 isprovided with a pulley 35 which is driven by a belt 36 passing aroundthe pulley 35 and around a pulley 37 secured to the axle 8.

By the construction just described, it will be seen that when themachine is moved forwardly, the rotation of the axle 8 will cause thepairs of rollers 27 to rotate through the belt connections, 31 and 36.and will cause the upper portions of the rollers of each pair 27 to movetoward each other for a purpose hereinafter explained; and it will alsobe seen that when the machine is moved forwardly the heaters 17 will berocked laterally over the tops of the adjacent pans or receivers 13.

The operation is as follows :The machine is adapted to be drawn byhorses, or otherwise, over a field containing rows of potato vinesparallel to the rows; the machine taking in three rows of vines in itspath of travel, and each row of vines passing through the space betweentwo adjacent pans or receivers 14. As the machine is thus drawn over thefield of potato vines, the heaters 17 are rocked back and forth, aspreviously described, and the pairs of rollers 27 are rotated aspreviously described. It will, therefore, be readily understood that asthe rows of potato vines pass through the spaces between the adjacentpans or receiver and over the tops of the sides of the pans, the vineswill be acted upon by the heaters 17 in a manner to dislodge the potatobugs from the vines and knock or beat them into the adjacent pans orreceivers 14, and that the potato bugs will roll down the inclinedbottoms of each pan 14 to its pair of rollers 27, and that the bugs willthen be drawn into and between the rollers 27 and crushed and killedthereby, and discharged from the bottoms thereof.

It will, of course, be readily understood that the rollers 27 and theiractuating means may be dispensed with and other suitable means employedin the pans 14 for killing the bugs, or the bugs may be collected in thepans 14 and then they may be killed or destroyed by any suitable meansafter being removed from the pans.

I claim 1. The combination of a frame, carrying Wheels therefor, a pairof vertically-arranged plates carried by the'frame, bug-receiving panscarried by the plates and extending toward each other and having spacetherebetween, a shaft above said space and extending substantiallyparallel to the carrying wheels, a beater secured to the shaft andextending downwardly therefrom, a wheel operatively connected to thecarrying wheels and having its axis arranged at right angles to saidshaft, pins projecting radially from said wheel, and a pin projectingfrom said shaft and into the path of the pins carried by said wheel.

2. The combination of a frame, carrying wheels therefor, a pair ofvertically-arranged plates carried by the frame, bug-receiving panscarried by the plates and extending toward each other and having a spacetherebetween, a shaft above said space and extending substantiallyparallel to the carrying wheels, a beater secured to the shaft andextending downwardly therefrom, a wheel operatively connected to thecarrying wheels and having its axis arranged at right angles to saidshaft, two rows of pins projecting radially from said wheel, one row onone side and one row on the other side of the center of said shaft, anda pair of pins diverging from said shaft, one pin of said pair extendinginto the path of the pins of one of said rows and the other pin of saidpair extending into the path of the pins of the other of said rows.

3. The combination of a frame, an axle, carrying wheels secured to saidaxle, a pair of vertically-arranged plates carried by the frame,bug-receiving pans carried by the plates and extending toward each otherand having a space therebetween, a shaft above said space and extendingat right angles to said axle, a beater secured to the shaft andextending downwardly therefrom, a wheel secured to said axle, pinsprojecting radially from said wheel and a pin projecting from said shaftand into the path of the pins carried by said wheel.

4. The combination of a frame, an axle, carrying wheels secured to saidaxle, a pair of vertically-arranged plates carried by the frame,bug-receiving pans carried by the plates and extending toward each otherand having a space therebetween, a shaft above said space and extendingat right angles to said axle, a beater secured to the shaft andextending downwardly therefrom, a wheel secured to said axle, two rowsof pins projecting radially from said wheel, one row on one side and onerow on the other side of the center of said shaft, and a pair of pinsdiverging from said shaft, one pin of said pair extending into the pathof the pins of one of said rows and the other pin of said pair extendinginto the path of the pins of the other of said rows.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED GLEMIT SLOAN.

Witnesses:

A. V. GRoUrE, S. I. HARPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

